LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses with the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy following victory against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the Gentlemen’s Singles Final during day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Carlos Alcaraz has been off the ATP Tour since Barcelona due to a right wrist injury that was already going to prevent him from playing the French Open, where he is the two-time defending champion.
Now Alcaraz has announced that he will miss the grass court swing including Wimbledon as well.
“My recovery is going well and I feel much better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to be able to play, and that’s why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “They are two really special tournaments for me and I’ll miss them a lot. We keep working to return as soon as possible!
The French Open runs May 24-June 7, and Wimbledon runs June 29-July 12.
Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski predicted the injury would sideline the seven-time major champion and world No. 2 for Wimbledon.
“That’s where I want to be as healthy as possible. But I’m going to try to get my reps in through Paris, maybe play a few tournaments on the grass, and then peak for Wimbledon. Never discount him.
“If Novak’s healthy and the body’s there, he can beat anybody. He’s still that good. But it kind of feels like this is like crunchtime moments coming up from the next few weeks.”
Djokovic is a 24-time major champ and widely considered the GOAT of men’s tennis. He lost to world No. 79 Dino Prižmić of Croatia in his first match at the Italian Open earlier this month.
He’s still seeking a record 25th major and his best chance may come if he doesn’t have to beat Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the same event.
The “New Two” have won the last nine Grand Slam titles in a row.
Sinner is the heavy betting favorite at Roland Garros and will be at Wimbledon, where he beat Alcaraz in four sets in last year’s final.